Resolute Warriors set sail for Morocco

'Tow the Line' Soldiers depart Yorktown Coast Guard station, Yorktown, Va. at 10:30 a.m. March 24 on board the Large Tug-805 with two Landing Craft Utility vessels in tow. The crew of 25 Army sailors is assigned to the 73rd Transportation Company, 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade which is headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. The vessel master of the LT-805 is Chief Warrant Officer Tom Hall. The vessel is sailing to Morocco to participate in the annual Joint Logistics Over The Shore training exercise, a yearly event combining the efforts of Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force personnel used to demonstrate the U.S. military's ability to transport critical equipment and supplies to shore from a cargo ship at sea without the benefit of port facilities.

'Tow the Line' Soldiers depart Yorktown Coast Guard station, Yorktown, Va. at 10:30 a.m. March 24 on board the Large Tug-805 with two Landing Craft Utility vessels in tow. The crew of 25 Army sailors is assigned to the 73rd Transportation Company, 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade which is headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. The vessel master of the LT-805 is Chief Warrant Officer Tom Hall. The vessel is sailing to Morocco to participate in the annual Joint Logistics Over The Shore training exercise, a yearly event combining the efforts of Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force personnel used to demonstrate the U.S. military's ability to transport critical equipment and supplies to shore from a cargo ship at sea without the benefit of port facilities.

Hall and his crew of 25 Army sailors are on their way to Morocco in support of Transportation Command's annual Joint Logistics Over The Shore, or JLOTS, training exercise. The LT-805 is towing two Army Landing Craft Utility watercraft, the LCUs play a vital role in the Roll-On/Roll-Off, Discharge Facility portion of JLOTS. The crew will first sail to San Juan for refueling and from there sail across the Atlantic to the coast of western Africa.

"That's a long sail under any conditions," said Chief Warrant Officer Hall, "but with two LCUs in tow it becomes even more taxing because of the constant watch on the tow. We've trained and practiced for this and I've got confidence that we're ready to pull it off."

"I'm confident this will be a successful mission," said Capt. Araujo while standing on the dock at Yorktown, watching as the vessel made its' way out to sea. "Our crews are well trained; we've got the right people working in the right positions."

JLOTS is the ability to discharge a vessel without benefit of a pier in a tactical or humanitarian situation (several of the brigade's watercraft deployed to Haiti last January in support of Operation Unified Response. The vessels were critical in moving vital supplies such as food, shelter and cooking utensils to the displaced people of Haiti who were affected by the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake.)

A training exercise such as JLOTS contributes significantly in the brigade's ability to perform this type of mission anywhere in the world. At times a ship may have to be downloaded farther away from a port or berth based on the location or, perhaps due to an austere environment.

The 7th Sustainment Brigade provides logistical support anywhere, at any time, in any environment. Elements of the brigade's six battalions and their companies are deployed at any
given time supporting a number of global missions to include Kuwait, U.S. Army South, Iraq and Afghanistan.